(From the SMART team director, Thu 5/28/2009)
We apologize for the delay in getting this to you. However, it was a VERY BUSY time in Guyana that last week! The Lord blessed abundantly and sleep was at a minimum … to say the least! The first Saturday, 5/16, some were saved on door to door soul-winning in the surrounding village of Providence. We met Mary who had 4 little boys … the youngest only 2 days old. She proudly invited us into her little shelter. Nothing but foam on the floor to sleep, an alcoholic husband who drinks at the rum shops all day and all night, little food and yet, she is joyful because she has trusted Christ as her personal Saviour recently. The team gave the missionaries a fair bit of money to purchase her basic food for her children over the next several months. It can’t be given to her or her husband will take it and drink it up. We wanted to purchase things for her little plank counter top but he would sell it and drink it too. Ages 8, 5, 3 and 2 days old … Mary is only 23 years old.
Everyone on the team has been busy in every aspect of the ministries there … singing, playing instruments, teaching, giving devotionals … you name it and they have done it. Cooking, cleaning, ironing, packing, repacking, and repacking again and again. And then … Summer Bible Olympics was a WOW! Over 800 children and teens in total came for the three nights. Again, the team worked so hard as team leaders and several children were saved, as well as one lady who was gloriously saved on Friday night! Those days and nights were spent in preparation for the puppets, and too many things to list here. No time to come up for air. Very late nights. Yes, Mrs. Field, Kevin is doing well. A couple of days for rest when needed, but doing terrific. Saturday, 5/23, was spent all day doing laundry with our favorite washer and we were thankful for it. Had to be filled and refilled by hand with each was and rinse. And yes, moms … they now all know how to hang laundry on a line in a field with mosquitoes … and how to make it look great and save line space!
They all washed dishes, folded laundry, ironed … yes, all ironed and still do …. made breakfast and are learning to cook some things. They’ve become experts at refilling everyone’s water bottles, drinking lots of water and staying hydrated, mosquito repellant and sunscreen, and real experts at mosquito netting prep for each night of sleep. They are just a great team and get on together well. We’ve enjoyed much Guyanese food and when all was done Saturday, 5/23, packed and weighed and reweighed … yes, they’re experts at all that now also … showers and bed were welcomed. Sunday, 5/24, was the big day for the Bike giveaway and all the other prizes. Again … all the team was there … 329 in attendance. Teaching in small rooms with 100 or more children in each one … the power went out and we all experienced sauna like temps. We also had children’s church in the opening of the church with the kids sitting on a large tarp. Anyone doing something that required electricity had to put it on hold until Sunday night. After a lunch from another culture … delicious! … we hoped the power would come on, but NO.
Sunday night, 5/24, we presented the church with a communion set and they were so excited. Then the Shrivnauths surprised us with a very nice dinner at a fancy restaurant across the street. Finished at 11:30 p.m. We still had to shower, pack some more and got to bed at 1:30 a.m. Up at 6:00 a.m. to get to the airport, say goodbye to the missionaries and give them their final gifts. They were so excited.
Thank you for praying. Monday, 5/25, was travel day and it was touch and go all the way. With every luggage weigh in, every ticket check, every clerk and luggage check … it was touch and go all the weigh. Moving and reweighing luggage, swapping things from a heavy suitcase to a lighter one … no matter who it belonged to … more great missionary lessons for each team member. But the Lord watched out for us and we were able to save some money. All luggage arrived safely, but we had to claim it in Trinidad, and then go through the whole procedure again … landing in Panama City and El Salvador at 11:30 p.m. your time. Another two hour drive to the Charters … the guys are staying in their home and the gals and Baughmans (team directors) are staying at a place near there. Another unplanned expense, but it should be taken care of because of the luggage making it through. These lessons have been fantastic for the team to see … EVERY team member said they could feel your prayers.
Today (Tue, 5/26) has been spent regrouping all our belongings and getting busy for two busy weeks here. It is hot and muggy, but yet very different from Guyana. A cold shower … no hot water … feels good and we have more than a trinkle for the girls to wash their hair. Laundry and a cookout tonight and we’ll drop in bed tonight. Last night … we got to bed at 3:30 a.m.
Guyana … GREAT EXPERIENCE AND MUCH MINISTRY EXPERIENCE … MORE THAN ANY SMART TEAM PREVIOUSLY. GREAT MISSIONARIES AND MANY LESSONS LEARNED. Couldn’t have asked for more … especially rice and curry. The people were so very sad to see us leave and we were all very sad to say goodbye.
El Salvador …. MANY PHYSICAL WORK PROJECTS LINED UP, SOME MINISTRY THINGS … SPANISH LANGUAGE ALREADY CAUSING TEAM MEMBERS A BIT OF FRUSTRATION BECAUSE MOST CANNOT COMMUNICATE IN IT. Others seeing if their Spanish is as good as they hope it to be. Thursday night … mid week services, Friday night … youth activity … Saturday soul-winning in the small barrios … Sunday … doing what can be done with the language barrier.
We may not be able to send another report until one week from Friday, 6/5. Continue to pray for each team member as they seek the Lord’s leading in their lives.
Pray that we will be a blessing to the Charters and to their people. Summer Bible Olympics will be one week from Saturday all day. Pray for that.
This team is an enormous blessing … they have bonded well with one another as siblings. And … they work well together. Please continue to pray as they have a complete shift in every aspect of what they experienced in Guyana.
Have a blessed week!
5/28/09 by Rebecca Pritchett